Jop: The most important thing is the next meeting

Tuesday, October 22nd, is the day of the postponed match between Górnik Łęczna and Wisła Kraków in Round 6 of the Betclic 1 League. Before the match kicks off in the Lublin region, coach Mariusz Jop met with journalists.

Medical report before #GKŁWIS. Excluded are: Bartosz Talar, Kacper Duda, Jakub Stępak, Joseph Colley, Enis Fazlagić, Igor Sapała and Piotr Starzyński.

Wisła's defense, in particular, is facing a suspension for yellow cards. Does the coaching staff intend to rotate their squad because of this? "Traditionally, I can't reveal details, because that would reveal the lineup to some extent. However, I can say that the main criterion will be the players' performance," he began, additionally answering a question about whether the Kraków team is already considering a match against Płock: "As I said earlier, the most important thing for us is the short-term goal, which is the next match. At the moment, we're not concerned with Wisła Płock at all. The most important match is the match against Łęczna."

When asked if the players' mentality improved after a match like the one against Bruk-Bet, the coach replied: "We often talk about it, that these victories, of course, make us very happy and we respect and appreciate them. However, you have to clear your head very quickly and focus on the next opponent. I think it's an individual matter. Firstly, the players' preparation, secondly, our observation. If there's a need to motivate some players a little, we do it."

The team from Kraków took all the arguments from the team from Nieciecza. Was the coach surprised by this? "I don't see it as a surprise. If we follow the path we want to take and execute our goals—we're aggressive, we're close to the opponent with the ball, we don't give them time to make decisions, if we're attentive and neutralize certain opponent behaviors, then we're effective. I think the key for us is good defensive play. If we execute our goals here, we'll have plenty of attacking opportunities later," he continued.

According to one journalist, the White Star still has problems with set pieces: "I disagree. In the match against Siarka, we scored from a throw-in, meaning a set piece. In the match against Bruk-Bet, Alan had a chance, Igor had a chance. Rodado practically missed the empty net after bringing down "Zwolak." There were two occasions when there was such confusion that with a bit of luck – if the ball had fallen two meters to the right or left to one of the players – we would have had a clear-cut chance. I think we were very dangerous from set pieces in the match against Bruk-Bet. Of course, we missed a goal, but that's the direction we're working on, and we'll want to improve our set piece numbers."

Górnik's team has undergone a real rebuild. How different is it from the previous season? "I don't want to go back too far to last season. What's important to me is how Górnik is playing now. I think it's characteristic that the coach is looking for different solutions. This isn't a team that sticks to one pattern, one way of playing. There are many ways of playing. I think it's characteristic that they try to build from the back, something coach Stano is known for from his time at Wisła Płock. That's something characteristic. Plus, specific behaviors for the team. I don't want to go into detail here either, but we have it outlined before every match. We're prepared for these actions when it comes to our defense," he noted.

The current lineup for the R22 is comprised of players who spent time on loan at Łęczna last season. Did the coach take their advice? "Not this time, because I assumed the opposition's lineup had changed so much that these discussions were pointless. We saw in our analyses that this team utilizes a wide range of building and defending options. The range is wide, and there was no need for additional information," he added.

Filip Baniowski has recently shown some positive signs for the reserve team, which was noticed by the team's coaching staff, led by Mariusz Jop: "He was at training today. As was Maciej Kuziemka."

Olivier Sukiennicki, who has been a bit lackluster lately, has had a good start at Wisła. What happened to this player? "I have to say that all the players who haven't started are working very hard, waiting for their chance. It's the same with Olivier. He played in Tarnobrzeg and played well. Looking back on the last match, on the one hand, I felt the team needed to hold off on making changes. On the other, I was dissatisfied because I wanted to give the players some minutes. Those who work hard in training so they could show their skills. However, the team's well-being is always paramount, not the individual's. Olivier is waiting for his chance; he's patient. I'm talking to him because Patryk Gogół and Frederico Duarte are in a similar situation. Mariusz Kutwa is the same way. There are many players who work hard and are ready to come in and help the team. There's also Angel Baena, who came in recently and performed brilliantly," concluded coach Mariusz Jop.